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At their Los Angeles restaurants Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie, chefs Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson offer great homestyle cooking but aren’t afraid to jazz up their menu with bold flavors and unexpected ingredients, what they call “untraditional food that understands tradition.” This dish from their debut cookbook, Kismet: Bright, Fresh, and Vegetable-Loving Recipes, honors that philosophy, upgrading grilled corn with a tangy butter sauce brimming with thinly sliced pickled pepperoncini.
Kramer and Hymanson prefer cutting their corn into smaller pieces, but you can keep your ears whole, or even cut the kernels from the cobs and toss with the pepperoncini butter for a warm salad. The authors also recommend using whole jarred pepperoncini and slicing them at home, to ensure that slices are thin enough to stick to the corn.
Ingredients
For the pepperoncini butter:
- 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
- ½ cup thinly sliced pepperoncini
- 1 Tbsp. pepperoncini pickling liquid
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. ground white pepper
For the corn:
- 4 ears corn (about 1 lb.), husked, each ear cut into 2–3 equal pieces
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
Step 1
Make the pepperoncini butter: To a small pot over medium heat, add the butter and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is fully melted and golden brown and the garlic smells toasted, 5–8 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the pepperoncini, pickling liquid, salt, and white pepper, then set aside.
Step 2
Grill the corn: Heat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high. In a large bowl, toss the corn with the oil to coat, then sprinkle with the salt. Grill the corn, turning frequently with tongs, until lightly charred on all sides, 8–12 minutes total.
Step 3
Transfer the grilled corn to a platter, spoon the pepperoncini butter over the top, and serve.